The last time we told you about the events in the universe of our project, that took place earlier. Today we are going to tell you how the Alien invasion started and what changes occurred in the game world. In the previous issue we stopped at the anticipation of a great war between the major races, who wanted to enjoy the treasures of a bygone supercivilization. The situation in the border sectors escalated. Fights between mercenaries grew fiercer by the hour.

And then came the Aliens. They did not conduct negotiations. They destroyed anyone appearing on their radars. Aliens opened portals right to the main stations of each race. Thus began the Invasion.

At first it looked innocuous enough. Yes, the Aliens were strong, but they were never too many. Some pilots were able to visit their territories. Scientists believe it to be some kind of parallel space. It’s not our world. It’s completely different and hostile.

The war motivated fresh research. The hunt for artifacts faced a revival. Detailed studies of possible applications of Iridium allowed scientists to use it in a variety of industries. Over time, numerous ways to use Iridium in military technology and in civilian life were discovered. The price of Iridium grew. So did the mercenaries’ profits.

At the same time humanity managed to capture and explore some of the Alien ships. Races found a way to integrate Alien tech into known technology leading to a host of lethal weapons, unique ships and incredibly strong armor. With each passing day the Aliens were losing more ground.

A counterattack was in order. Suddenly, people started hearing of sabotage on their home turf.

Artificial Intelligence, created by a powerful corporation ‘Blackwood’ went out of control and attacked civilians. The corporation is still holding back the spread of the threat posed by AI, but does not dare destroy such a valuable project.

Elsewhere a mighty Imperial Dreadnought was badly damaged in a battle with Aliens, and dropped anchor in an asteroid belt for repairs. Suddenly a massive pirate attack pushed back Imperial forces and captured the dreadnought. Since then, the Empire, with the help of mercenaries, has been trying to regain control of the ship, yet to no avail.

In the meantime, one of the largest mining stations in the sector became an object of interest for pirate cartels eager to take possession of this rig. Federation used the services of mercenaries in order to protect the station. But Cartel keeps stretching its network further. It went as far as encroaching on a Federation dreadnought and trying to activate its weapons to get a huge advantage over their enemies. So far they failed.

Among the general confusion, pirates started crawling out of their holes and trading artifacts. They even managed to use them in order to assemble truly powerful ships and weapons, which soon hit the black market. Sometimes hirelings ‘pay visits’ to the pirate base in order to try their luck in seizing pirate treasure.

Alien artifacts are also being actively studied by corporations. And not all of them devote their research to a a good cause. Take the ‘Ellydium’ corporation that actively trades with the terrorists.

And amid all this, mysterious Cybers — Jericho apostates, are not getting involved in the confrontation with Aliens. Cybers settled in an abandoned Jericho, and started exploring space with an extremely powerful radar rig. Why do they need all this? Many mercenaries ask this question, and when the next Cyber flotilla leaves for an unknown destination, they attack the station, and quickly download the data. Thus were obtained the coordinates of several mysterious objects, including an abandoned complex of an ancient civilization. But why Cybers are exploring space remains a mystery.

Despite the threat from all fronts, humans are gaining ground. They become stronger. They stand up to the Alien threat.

But everything changed with the appearance of a huge Alien ship, a true fortress, dubbed ‘The Defiler’.

But even the appearance of such a large and powerful ship as the Defiler did not scare the authorities. A hunt for the Defiler was open. Many mercenaries, clans and corporations used it to hone their Alien-fighting skills. As a result, corporations found a way to eliminate it. Yes, it was a fun time. Careless and risky. The Aliens are close, but we are stronger than ever before!

In fact, we became too sure of our power, relaxed on the wave of success. We lost vigilance. Got weaker. And the Aliens dealt their evil and powerful blow.

A blow to all systems of mankind. Fighting is still ongoing, but many systems have already been completely ruined, while others are isolated and the situation there is completely unknown.

The huge Alien ships - Defilers - were able to break through the defences and destroy many of the industrial and mining centers.

Thanks to mercenaries and new weapons, we managed to defend the border areas. Aliens retreated. But chaos remained. Some locations were completely destroyed. Many colonists, mercenaries, pirates died. Some became what we call ‘Biomorphs’. Now they see people as their enemies.

In many ways, dreadnoughts came to the rescue from the hub sectors to help survive and to expel Aliens. Unfortunately, there isn’t enough to bring order to all border areas. They have been damaged in battles and now require long-term maintenance. Dreadnoughts only cover the main bases in central locations.